In remembrance

If I may be allowed to descend into the realm of the serious on this blog, if only for one entry, I'd like to tell you about two members of my family who have passed away in the last month, it is nice to know that their existence is recorded somewhere even if it is the trivial world of the internet.

Ellen (Nelly) Stewart (nee Howard) 1909 - 2005

My grandmother, not through birth, through my stepmother Beryl, but it didn't matter to her that I wasn't a true member of the family. She died in hospital last night with her family around her. She was a truly remarkable woman, a local legend, everybody in Lynn knew who she was and will be saddened at the news. The funeral, which I cannot attend due to my geographical distance and poverty, will be a massive affair.

She had 10 children, three of whom she outlived, 26 grandchildren and countless great-grandchildren. Her husband died a long time ago and she has been on her own for at least 30 years. She was always happy and kind, had a great deal of intelligence and was incredibly sharp, always made people laugh and never gave in to her ever-declining physical abilities. My fondest memories are when she used to look after me in the school holidays and would always buy me an iced bun which used to be my favourite.

She must have been very brave bringing up so many children during the second world war whilst her husband was away in North Africa, Kings Lynn was badly bombed during the war because of the munitions factories nearby, I cannot imagine what that must have been like. Like so many of the older generation, she was made from different stuff than we are now, which made her into such a wonderful, strong matriarch. I didn't see her very often but feel that the world is poorer for her loss.

Miro 1991 - 2005

A dog yes, and of course not in the same category of loss as a grandmother but he was a very special dog. He was found as a puppy, alone and cowering in the middle of a busy road in Notingham by a friend of my sister Linda. For her it was love at first sight ( and for me to) and she decided that even though she wasn't allowed to keep a pet, she would take him home. They soon became inseparable but he fell ill. His fur all fell out and underneath he had dreadful mange. At one point he was so ill that she had made the fateful decision to take him to the vets to be put to sleep, luckily an aussie locum doctor was working that day and he suggested trying a new cure before giving up the fight. It worked and he was soon better and looking more handsome than ever, with a thick, sandy coloured coat, fluffy erect fox-like ears and big, brown eyes.

He stayed with Linda until she went travelling for a year when he moved in with us temporarily. I had always loved Miro but we grew closer than ever. I will forever have a memory of him for I have a scar on my chin which was inflicted by him, on Valentine's night 1995 my parents went out leaving me with the dog and a chocolate orange for company. Being the generous soul that I am, I shared the chocolate with Miro and he went a bit nutty and bit me when I leaned down to kiss him goodnight. Even after a trip to A&E and being a laughing stock at school, I forgave him.

The story of his passing makes me cry every time I think about it. He became ill with hip dysplacia a few years ago and has been growing weaker ever since, he was nearly completely deaf and his once razer-sharp teeth were blunt stumps but he was still handsome and affectionate. Last month he got worse and had a stroke which left him very weak. On 23rd October he was almost gone but the next morning he seemed like a new dog, greeting and licking the family. Feeling optomistic they went off to work and school but when they came home they couldn't open the door. Poor old Miro was laid against it, barely alive, he had waited for them to get home to say goodbye. They took him inside and my sister took him in her arms in a blanket where he fell asleep.

He was a beautiful dog and he deserves remembering.